


Skybound

by AlphaStarr



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Canonverse AU, F/F, Fire Emblem Femslash Week, Hurt/Comfort, Marriage Proposal, Romance, sibling dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 05:50:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7922986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlphaStarr/pseuds/AlphaStarr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They say that Pegasus Knights always reach for the sky, ever in search of a loftier ideal-- and for Cordelia, Lissa is the sun itself.</p><p>For <a href="http://fefemslashweek.tumblr.com/post/148651436302/welcome-to-the-fire-emblem-femslash-week-this">Fire Emblem Femslash Week.</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	Skybound

**Author's Note:**

> a fic in one part, spanning the contents of FE:A chapters 7 through 11. naturally, all of chapter 10 and its relevant warnings and plot point alerts should be noted.
> 
> beta [@doompumpkin,](archiveofourown.org/users/doompumpkin) who dearly loves cordeliss.

 

* * *

**29 Aug||Armor**

* * *

Cordelia was lost when she first met the youngest princess of Ylisse.

She'd grown up in a village so far from the township of Themis that Cordelia had wondered, at times, if it were part of the duchy at all. Her military aspirations, she once believed, would extend only to scaring thieves from the cabbage fields-- once, before Lord Diodore happened upon her practice by chance, had discovered her talent with weaponry, and offered to serve as her patron. To sponsor her in the capitol where she could refine her talents. _Genius_ , he'd called her, a word that she would learn to know well in the coming years-- but first, before that, before her very first practice with the finest of trainers, there had been the capitol city. Maze-like, too-busy for a girl who had seen only the trading-ports of Themis, a town half Ylisstol's size.

Her quarters in the barracks, standard for a knight, were simple enough to navigate, and so too the castle and its surrounding areas. But her excellent memory amounted to nothing in the marketplace surrounding, its maelstrom of shoppers and merchants and sights and sounds overwhelming the senses. She'd ventured out merely to purchase the literature she would need in order to begin her classes, but she was decidedly lost.

Soundly lost indeed, Cordelia was forced to admit, for each street looked identical to the next and every corner-merchant's stall seemed to leap from location to location. Already, her legs began to tire from walking around in circles for so long. Her first day in the city and she had already managed to lose herself, Cordelia thought, and prayed to the gods to show her the way back. Humiliating, she worried, if she returned to the barracks after curfew-- and perhaps, perhaps her patron might revoke his permissions if he were told of her irresponsibility, and she would have to return to the tiny village on the edge of Themis, and return to guarding crops.

 _Think, Cordelia, think_ , she told herself, and once she was of level mind once more, decided it would be best to ask for directions-- if not to the barracks, then to a place where there were few enough people that she could gather her bearings, could pick out the castle over the tops of peoples' heads.

"Excuse me--" Cordelia attempted to pull the attention of a passing gentleman, but he merely walked faster. A cold dismissal, if she'd ever seen one. She tried again, a merchant nearby, "Pardon me--"

"Sorry, I'm closed," the merchant only shook her head and returned to packing away her wares for the return trip home.

Like many in the countryside, Cordelia had heard that people never seemed to have any time in the larger cities-- and perhaps, she thought, there was an error in her method. Maybe it would be more effective to seek out someone who seemed likely to answer a question or two, someone friendly, or perhaps merely less busy.

There was a certain kindness about the cleric in yellow, Cordelia thought-- something in her secondhand petticoats, her gentle smile, the way she waved people over from the street to ask how their children were doing or if they needed another tin of ointment for that trick knee. Something about her reminded Cordelia of home, and perhaps she wouldn't mind offering a new neighbor a direction or two.

"Excuse me, miss," she slipped in, careful to avoid jostling any of the others. "Sorry to trouble you, but--"

"Oh! No, it's no trouble at all," she beamed, and her smile was like the sun itself in those streets. "How can I help you? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No-- and I apologize for the misunderstanding," Cordelia replied, venturing a small smile of her own back. "I'm a little bit lost... do you have directions to the knights' barracks? I could also make do with directions to a nearby hill, so I can regain my bearings."

"Heehee... the knights' barracks, huh?" she giggled, and even her pigtails seemed to shake with laughter. "I know where that is, but it'll be really tough to get back there, now. I think the best advice I can give you is to just wait it out for a while."

"Hm, I see," Cordelia hadn't thought on local foot traffic being an issue before, but that was certainly something she'd have to take care of in planning later excursions. Then, curiously, "If you don't mind my asking... what is it, exactly, that I'm waiting out?"

"Oh, you'll see," the girl chirped, busying herself with packing away bits and pieces of a first-aid kit. She smiled, "You can wait here with me, if you want. It shouldn't be long now, because every day--"

"LOOK! It's Exalt Emmeryn!" someone shouted from the north end of the market, and then the sea of people seemed to part, began to clear a pathway just wide enough for two or three people in the center of the street, began to lower the roar of their chatter to a solemn hush.

"Every day," the cleric whispered, standing on tiptoes to reach Cordelia's ear. Her giggle was warm against Cordelia's skin. "Every day, at this same time, the Exalt goes for a walk in this market."

"I don't mean to question her choices, but..." Cordelia breathed back, quietly, afraid to break the peace that had fallen.  "Is that safe?"

"Maybe it wasn't always," she admitted, and smiled, lifted a hand to gesture, "But look at her now... and look at her people."

And Cordelia's eyes fell to the Exalt as she walked down the street, smiling beatifically at all of her subjects. How some knelt as she passed, and some stood, and some ventured to hold out their children that Exalt Emmeryn could pat their heads and bless them, but all of them-- every single one of them-- smiled back. And then, she turned the corner, and upon her opposite arm, a woman's hand-- gauntlet clad, and shining gold.

"Who is that?" Cordelia murmured, and watched the pair walk side by side down the street. "That woman beside her?"

"That's Captain Phila, of the Pegasus Knights," and the cleric smiled, her eyes shining knowingly. "I think she's off-duty now, though... see, no lance. Exalt Emmeryn's never allowed anyone to handle a weapon on her behalf when she walks like this... hehe! That's sort of like her, you know... to try to just be two friends going for a walk in the marketplace."

Cordelia's eyes clung to the way Captain Phila's fingers, their metal guards glittering as she moved, gently brushed a fallen leaf from the Exalt's shoulder, The way soft eyes crinkled in their own smile, and how very, very different it seemed to be from the smiles of the townspeople that surrounded them. And the Exalt's own answering grin, something that made her exceptionally young-- joyous, Cordelia thought, in place of serene. And perhaps she had merely read too many romance novels, those slowest days in her childhood, but something in Cordelia's heart told her that yes, they _were_ friends... but not _only_ friends.

"She seems very devoted," Cordelia said, and watched as light glinted off Phila's gauntlets, her spaulders. The thought occurred to her, then, that though Phila was unarmed... "She's still wearing her armor... isn't she?"

"I don't think anyone doubts," the cleric's smiled softened-- and perhaps it was only the light, but there was something strangely familiar about that gentleness. "Captain Phila would protect the Exalt with her life, if it came down to it. Of course-- I don't think that'll happen here. Maybe it might have, once... but not today."

"Then," Cordelia furrowed her brow. Something didn't quite add up. "For what purpose is she still wearing it?"

"Oh," and she muffled a snort with her hand. "I think she just wears it because Emm always says she looks pretty in-uniform."

And before Cordelia could ask what any of that meant, the Exalt herself came upon them with the Captain of the Guard upon her arm (like a shield, Cordelia could not help but think). She smiled, then, a truly cheerful smile that seemed oddly familiar to Cordelia's eyes, and let her stroll come to a stop.

"Lissa! What a pleasant surprise," the Exalt beamed, and that was when Cordelia connected the dots.

"You say that like I don't volunteer at the same clinic every day," Lissa laughed back, and yes, Cordelia realized-- those smiles were the same.

"And who is this," Emmeryn's glance, curious, turned towards Cordelia, who stood up a little straighter in response. "It isn't every day I find you've made a new friend... I hope you introduced yourself, this time."

"Sorry! I couldn't resist," and Lissa burst into guffaws at this, the townsfolk beginning to return to something a little more natural. "S-sorry, sorry-- I'm Lissa."

"Cordelia," the redhead replied automatically, and, unsure if she should bow, added, "Your Highness."

"N-no, please, just Lissa," she managed to at last control her laughs. "I owe you that much, for pulling that joke on you. This is Phila, Captain of the Pegasus Knight guard... and Emm. My big sister."

"A pleasure to meet you," Emmeryn replied, and Cordelia, amazed, could only curtsy back.

"Hm... Cordelia, is it?" Phila turned her head to the side, momentarily analytical. "Lord Diodore, I've heard, recently found a protégé by that name. Would you happen to be she?"

"Yes, Captain," and Cordelia could only straighten her poise. "I only hope to honor his patronage by learning all that I can."

"I am glad," and Phila let herself smile a little. "I hope that, when the time comes for you to choose, you will consider joining the pegasus knights. We can always use another sister in arms, especially if his reports about your skills with a javelin are true."

"I am honored by such high praise," Cordelia answered, and then, careful, confident, "But with no disrespect... it may not be accurate to judge my abilities without witnessing them first. I'm sure there is much I need to improve on."

"So be it," Emmeryn smiled, then, and carefully nudged Phila's hand upon her arm. "Perhaps we shall drop in on the trainee practices someday, and watch."

"Your Grace, the Exalt cannot simply walk onto a training site--!" Phila began, prepared to list all of the safety hazards of such a place, but Emmeryn only hushed her with a hand upon her spaulder-- gleaming, golden.

"Let us not hold up business here any longer," and ended the conversation with a soft touch. Then, "Lissa, please do return to the castle before nightfall... you know I always worry when it starts to get dark."

"I'm getting better at keeping track of time, I promise," Lissa sulked. "It only happened ONCE this month!"

"I'll see you later this evening, little sister," and Emmeryn patted her face, walked away.

The streets, then, full of people, began to empty-- those who had come out to see the Exalt in all her glory returning to their homes or shops, those who had finished their business for the day preparing to sup. And then, Lissa rounded on Cordelia, looked up at her with a smile, wide and bright as the sun.

"So! Directions back to the knights' barracks," she clapped her hands together. "We're actually on the opposite side of the castle from there, so it's going to be a pretty long walk. But! I know a shortcut, if you don't mind a little mud."

"I-I'm sorry, my Lady, I shouldn't bother you with these trivialities," Cordelia attempted to apologize, and for every advantage a woman of the city might have over her, good manners wasn't one of them. "I'm sure I can find my bearings..."

"Hey, I _said_ I'm just Lissa," the cleric laughed, still chuckling over her little prank. "Besides... I'm not very princess-y, anyways. Not like Emm. I mean, you won't see a whole street stop in its tracks for little ol' _me_."

"Well," Cordelia ventured, and thought on how the princess had drawn the townspeople in, how she'd spoken to them as if they'd been neighbors or old family friends. It was not the same as quieting an entire marketplace, no... but perhaps, Cordelia thought, it was something more powerful. She thought it, but could not speak in case she were wrong, and so said instead: "You certainly stopped me. Perhaps... perhaps you're more like your sister than you thought."

"Yeah, I guess I did, didn't I?" Lissa smiled, and her beatific smile was just as warming as her brilliant one. "You know... Emm's the best big sister in the entire world."

"The way she looks at you," Cordelia replied, and crinkled her eyes back, soft. "I think she believes you're the best little sister, too."

And Lissa, at a loss for words at that, could only chuckle softly, "Come on, let me take you through the shortcut. Hey, I hope you're good at climbing fences!"

"I've chased bandits over a fence or two," Cordelia answered, and let the ghost of a grin dance across her face.

And o, though Cordelia had been lost when she first met the princess of Ylisse, she was lost again afterwards. Not her bearings, but her heart, and Cordelia-- Cordelia could only consider it a fair trade, for Lissa now held her heart within her hands. She was lost, and she could see only one course of action ahead.

Cordelia followed her.

* * *

**30 Aug||Endings**

* * *

"You've many years yet to keep their legacy alive," Captain Phila had said when they'd parted ways, the day that the Ylissean border fell-- Cordelia, with the Shepherds' militia, and she with Lady Emmeryn. "Your knight-sisters will be with you in spirit wherever you go."

But Cordelia, though she knew Captain Phila was her commanding officer, though she was full aware her tone brooked no question... still, it had been a near thing.

It had been a near thing indeed, and Cordelia whispered into the wind that which she had to restrain herself from saying aloud.

"But Captain... if I have many years," she sighed, glancing upon Exalt Emmeryn's escort, now merely a speck upon the horizon. "How many have you? Do you... do you already count _yourself_ among the knight-sisters with me in spirit?"

"You don't feel comfortable with this either, do you?" Lissa dragged her feet beside Cordelia's pegasus, turning her face back doubtfully. "It feels... too much like a goodbye."

"I don't," Cordelia admitted, marching along her pegasus's other side, reins in hand. "But I cannot disobey an order from my commanding officer... no more, I suspect, than you can disobey your sister and Exalt."

"It's about _more_ than who's in charge," Lissa insisted. Deflating slightly, "I know... I know she wants what's best for me and Chrom, and to keep the Fire Emblem safe, too. But... knowing she's heading back there. It makes me worry. Especially if she thinks that the riots could start again..."

"I heard tales about them when I was a young girl," Cordelia cast a hesitantly curious look upon her. "The riots in Ylisstol during the Crusader-King's rule... they said the streets stank of oil and alcohol. And that during the night, they burned."

"No, that's not true," answered Lissa, shaking her head.

"No?" Cordelia questioned. "It _does_ comfort me to hear that the situation was not so dire..."

"It's not true," corrected Lissa, staring down at her skirts as she marched. She shuddered, "Because the streets didn't just _stop_ burning once the sun came up. I wouldn't know how they smelled back then, since Emm wouldn't let me or Chrom out of the castle... but from the towers, you could see whole parts of Ylisstol go up in flame. In some parts of town... people say you can still taste the smoke when you breathe."

"That's," Cordelia started, but found herself at a loss for words. "That's awful."

"When our father died... Emm went out in those streets all the time, back then," Lissa said, and closed her eyes, brought a memory to forefront. "Sometimes she came home with ash in her hair, but sometimes she had glass stuck in her hands, and once... she broke her arm. Phila said someone threw a rock at her, and neither of them were fast enough to block it. But Emm always said, no matter how much pain she was in... that she went out to seek peace. And one day, she came home... and said she'd found it. Then, fires stopped the next day."

"She... she did more than call the Plegian Crusades to an end, then. It is no wonder her citizens adore her so, to have stopped the rioting with her own hands," Cordelia felt faintly awed by the bravery, the determination it must have taken to face her citizens in-person. But, suddenly, a second thought-- "Those injuries... they wouldn't be the reason you learned how to heal, would they?"

"Not the _only_ reason," but Lissa did not meet her eyes.

"Captain Phila is quite proficient with staves," Cordelia ventured, uncertain if her conclusion was the correct one. "If... if that's what you're worried about..."

"Maybe a little bit," Lissa sighed. "But it's not just that... my big sister's good at knowing what to do, and kinder than anyone. I'm a long way from being anything like Emm yet, but... I've learned a lot from her, you know. And I want to be there for her, and support her when things get scary, even if all I can do is fix a bruise or something. It's the same with you and Phila, isn't it? If something happens... you'd want to be there, too."

"The captain said," Cordelia swallowed, and shook the sound of her knight-sisters' screams from her ears as best she could. "She said it sometimes takes the most courage to run away... I only thought. I only thought I wouldn't have to do it again so soon."

"You're right... we have to stay on this path for now, so we can get to Ferox for reinforcements," Lissa redoubled the pep in her march, pushing her aching feet to walk just a bit further. "I only wish.... I just wish Emmeryn had stayed with us."

"They're like forces of nature, she and Captain Phila," Cordelia replied. Something wistful weighed upon her brow, "If Exalt Emmeryn makes up her mind to find peace... I don't think it's possible to stop her, regardless of how treacherous a path she may walk. And wherever Exalt Emmeryn goes... it is a fool's errand to attempt to stop Captain Phila from following."

Lissa was silent for a moment. Only the sounds of their padding feet as they marched near the back of the Shepherds' formation seemed to fill the air. And, then-- she spoke.

"She tried, you know," Lissa whispered. "Emm always tried to make Phila stay home, too. To keep her safe. But even before she was a Captain, maybe even before she joined the pegasus knights officially... Phila always went anyways."

"Our Captain loves the Exalt," Cordelia breathed, glancing towards a Feroxi sky beginning to fill with snow. "You can see it in her eyes. None can question that she is a dutiful knight... but her devotion. It's more than mere duty. It's... love."

"Captain Phila cares a whole lot about her... enough to disobey her, even. She might be the only person I know who's more stubborn than Emm, " Lissa chuckled, something about that idea striking her as oddly funny. "Hey, Cordelia... do you think they'll find it? The both of them?"

"Find... peace?" and Cordelia's eyes looked upon her, soft, and o, how that laughter made her heavy heart beat again.

"No. One way or the other, I think... Emm's going to  _make_ peace even if she can't find it," and Lissa's eyes crinkled at the edges. "I meant... do you think they'll find love?"

"I think, maybe," and Cordelia's lips slipped into a smile. "I think they already have."

"Then you and I have to help Chrom end this war, once and for all," and something wholly determined, something that seemed to echo with dignity set into her face. "For Emmeryn, for Phila... and for anyone else who ever loved."

"We'll end it," Cordelia replied, and her fingers gripped her lance as, at last, the Feroxi fortress came into view. "We'll... find peace. Or love. Or both."

And Lissa, just before they stepped over the border, stretched her hand out across the pegasus' back. "Shake on it?"

"Of course," and Cordelia let the tiniest of laughs slip through, and grasped her hand.

(Lissa's fingers, this visit, stayed warm the whole day.)

* * *

**31 Aug||Family**

* * *

The news came suddenly, abruptly, less than two days into their visit-- Exalt was captured.

Captured, and scheduled for execution.

Lissa's mouth opened once, as if preparing to say something-- to shout that no, this couldn't have possibly happened. Emmeryn was surely safe at home in the castle, by now, and the pegasus knight guard was keeping watch over her, and there were no pegasus knights more qualified than Captain Phila, who stood by her side always. Perhaps they had been attacked, she thought, and Emm was okay but there had been a mistake in relaying the information, or something... but when she tried to push the words from her lips, no noise came forth.

The Shepherds, though-- the Shepherds had no end of opinion, seeming to burst with outcry at the news, freshly delivered from Khan Basilio's scouts.

"Aw hell no," Sully shouted, slamming her lance against the ground. "You can't mean to say that they took Ylisstol, where our entire damn army's garrisoned?"

"The recent demilitarization efforts under Exalt Emmeryn indicates that it would be statistically possible," Miriel bit her lip as she ran the numbers, and adjusted her hat, even though it was on perfectly straight. "This is most troubling."

"Ylisseans are made of sterner stuff than that," Stahl frowned. "... aren't they?"

"I've never seen a more obvious trap..." Robin clenched the sleeves of their cloak. "This. They're not even trying to be subtle anymore."

"No. No," Cordelia's voice rang out above the rest to Lissa's ears, desperate but determined. "That's not possible. Phila would have sooner died than let anything happen!"

"Captain!" Sumia besought their commander at last. "What do we do?"

And all eyes, in that room, turned towards Chrom in that moment.

"What do we do?" and Chrom's brow took on a stern furrow, his words as firm as steel. The room went silent, as he drew his sword, slowly from his hilt, and at last-- his command, "Shepherds, we march to Plegia!"

Chrom's declaration was met with shouts of agreement. 

"Now, hold on a minute," Khan Basilio brought order into the room again. "I think we've had enough of royalty waltzing into traps for one war."

"The oaf is right," Khan Flavia shook her head. "It'll do us no good if the Plegians capture you or Lissa during a rescue attempt. Ylisse needs its royal family now more than ever."

"Then what're we expected to do?" Vaike hollered, breaking the quiet, "Sit on our hands and wait for them to kill the Exalt?"

"I can't stand by idly while Gangrel murders my sister," Chrom answered, shaking his head. "I have to do something!"

"We're not asking you to do nothing," Flavia replied. "But we'll need strength AND wits in equal measure if we're to stand a chance."

"I might have the beginnings of a plan," Robin spoke up. "A strategy... but I'll need a few very specific details from this scouting report in order to figure out how to make it feasible. And some quiet to think in."

"I can provide the first," Basilio, nodded. "If Chrom can clear the rest of the rabble from this room, you've got yourself a deal."

"Let me stay," Lissa's voice cracked as her vocal chords once more decided to work. "Emm's _my_ sister, too."

"I wish I could," Robin sighed, running a hand through their hair. "But this one's going to be a tough one to pull off... I just need some time with Basilio for some information, and a little quiet. You can wait right outside the entranceway, Lissa... and I promise, you can come right back in once I have something we can pull off."

"That's not fair!" Lissa burst out, distraught. "I know Emm just as well as you do, Chrom, please."

"She's right," Chrom clenched his jaw. "Emmeryn's our sister, I can't just make Lissa leave. We have to do all we can to save her!"

"Maybe, Chrom, it's not such a wise idea for you to be here either," Robin sighed, as the last of the Shepherds began to trickle from the council chamber. "The stakes are high for all of us... but especially, because you and Lissa are her family. I can't... I can't strategize like that. I can't be as impartial as I'll have to be... not when I can look into your faces and see what you're feeling every step of the way. If... if people _die_ because I made a mistake..."

"... I don't like it much, but I understand. If you need me to leave," Chrom exhaled, something in him giving way. "If that's what's necessary, then... I'm going off to train. Come find me when you have something figured out?"

"Of course, Chrom," and Robin ventured a smile. "Lissa?"

"I... I guess..." Lissa visibly deflated. "You said right outside the council chamber is okay?"

"You'll be the first to know once I've got something," Robin offered, and Lissa smiled back, hesitantly, in return.

Her legs wobbled faintly as she made the walk to the door, shutting it behind her. _Emmeryn, executed_ , and upon recalling that thought she slid to the floor, the stone of the Feroxi palace as frigid as ever. Gods, she thought, burying her face in her arms. We have to stop it.

Lissa didn't notice how long she'd been sitting there for, then, only shocked and anxious and frustrated that there was nothing she could do to save Emmeryn, not even train in preparation for the battles to come. She could hardly waste staves on nonexistent injuries just for practice. But her thoughts were brought to a stop, there, distracted by the click of boots upon the uncarpeted halls.

"My lady," Cordelia slid in to sit next to her.

"You know you don't have to call me that," Lissa sniffled, unsure if her nose was running because it was cold or because she felt like she was going to cry. "I've never been very princess-y... least of all, now."

"Lissa, then," Cordelia corrected herself, leaning her head against the wall. "Sumia and I were training when Lord Chrom arrived... I came here to check on you."

"Thanks... I guess," Lissa sighed, making as if to wipe her nose with her sleeve. Then, remembering her present company, and not wanting to look childish, changed course to find a handkerchief at the last second. "I know Robin needs time and quiet and the details of a _really_ long report to come up with a plan to save her... but Emm. Emm was the one who took care of me all my life, who fought with father when he was mad at me, who protected me and Chrom when the riots started and read us bedtime stories at night. And now... she's... she's..."

"She's okay now... there's time," Cordelia offered solemnly, determined. "We've time enough to save her yet. We'll get to Plegia in time... Sully and Miriel took off to get our convoy supplies packed, and Lon'qu said he knew a supplier who could replenish our food stocks on such short notice. The Shepherds are preparing to mobilize as we speak."

"I know, but I can't stop thinking about it," Lissa whispered, her voice beginning to crack. Tears slipped down her cheeks, "Emm is... she's my sister. The best big sister in the entire world."

"The best big sister... I know that's how you feel about Lady Emmeryn," Cordelia smiled softly, placed a handkerchief of her own in Lissa's hands. "But for me and Sumia, Captain Phila is like an older sister, too. Or... _was_ , perhaps. Basilio's report... we never got to hear whether she lived or died."

"Oh," and Lissa's breath caught in her throat. "I... maybe she's all right. Maybe they didn't hear anything because she escaped?"

"She didn't escape," Cordelia shook her head, staring at the floor.

"You sound so confident about that..." Lissa frowned. "How do you know for sure? Phila's super strong! There's no way she... d-died..."

"I don't know if she's dead... or if the Plegians even _took_ other prisoners," Cordelia admitted, sighing heavily. "Only that, for Lady Emmeryn to have been captured... Phila would have sooner died than allowed such a thing to happen. Either she herself was subdued, and likely made a prisoner of war, or... or..."

"N-no, don't say it!" Lissa exclaimed. "I don't... we have to believe that the pegasus knights are still alive. We just... _have_ to."

"I wish I had your faith," and Cordelia's next breath, burdened, slipped out with a quiet sniffle, a single tear. She wiped it away with her sleeve, composing herself as best as she could, "Lord Chrom and Sumia... I'm sure they're very upset as well. Your brother. My sister in knighthood. And... and all of the Shepherds. We must support each other as well as we can..."

"Like a family," Lissa exhaled, eyes full of wonder at that realization. "Working together to get us to Plegia, and getting ready to fight for Emm..."

"I think so, too," Cordelia leaned in and whispered-- ventured a tiny smile, soft and gentle.

And Cordelia, though she was beautiful even when she cried, was even lovelier with a smile upon her lips, warmth in her voice. She wore hope wonderfully, Lissa thought, and prayed that Emmeryn's chance could be Phila's chance, too, and that there would be chances, hundreds of them, for every member of the Shepherds, every member of their family, even while at war. Chances for peace, for love, for beautiful moments like these where they could be close to one another, and--

Just before Lissa took her chance, the door to the council chambers opened.

"I think I've got our plan," Robin announced. "Lissa, did you want to--"

Lissa stood, brushing off her skirts, brought back to action once more. And then, decisively, "Not yet."

"I did promise you'd be the first to hear," Robin replied curiously, tilting their head.

"And I will be," replied Lissa, a smile of her own playing across her lips. "But so will Chrom, and all the rest of the Shepherds. We're going to do this together, Robin. From this point on!"

"I see," and Robin ventured a smile back.

"Cordelia, you can help me get all of the Shepherds here, right?" Lissa turned in her direction, pigtails seeming to sway as she spun.

"Yes, milady!" and Cordelia saluted, determination making its way into her brow. "Where shall I begin?"

"Anywhere is fine," Lissa replied, already running off. She shouted back, "But leave the training field to me! I've got to find Chrom!"

"Yes, milady," Cordelia replied, more to herself than any other. And with hope sprung anew in her step, ran off in the other direction.

The Exalt could be saved, she told herself. _Phila_ could be saved. And as long as those chances existed, still... Cordelia had made up her mind to take them.

* * *

**01 Sept||Legend**

* * *

It was Phila who fell first.

Oh, how Cordelia's heart had leapt in her chest when Robin relayed the details of the report, at last managing to discover that the captain of the guard had, too, been captured. Scheduled to die on the day after Emmeryn's execution, but then, at least, there had been a chance. To Cordelia's eye-- clever though it may be, but untrained in tactics-- the plan had seemed foolproof.

The Shepherds were to clear the surrounding area of all hazards, and defeat the head of Gangrel's guard. Meanwhile, Basilio and a small squad of stealth soldiers would sneak in while they were distracted by the battle outside, and free Phila and the other captured pegasus knights. Sumia and Sully were meant to escort and protect a small group of unmounted pegasi, concealed with the Shepherds' numbers, out to their rendezvous point. Once there was no chance that their newly-rescued allies could be harmed by ground forces... they could fly out, save the Exalt, and perform an immediate retreat, leaving the rest of the Shepherds to cover their escape.

The plan had gone into motion flawlessly-- the battle took just long enough for the Shepherds to draw out every possible wave of Plegian reinforcements; Khan Basilio's men had been timely enough in their rescue that, when Lord Chrom gave the signal, Phila and her pegasus knights took to the sky immediately, and Cordelia's heart, like a winged horse, soared. There, in the courtyard of Plegia's castle, Cordelia had allowed herself to hope with her eyes turned towards the heavens, towards her captain who did not make her battle-cry for Ylisse's glory, but for--

"Emmeryn!" Phila cried, and her whole body, leaning forward upon her steed, was an expression of devotion. "Your Grace!"

And to watch the Exalt, then-- distant from the height of the execution block, but her posture of stiff resignation becoming something wholly emotional, wholly _human_ , "Phila! I'm so glad to see you safe! But how--"

"Khan Basilio's men freed me," Phila shouted back, and lance in hand, circled her pegasus closer to where Emmeryn stood, sunlight flickering through its wings to land on Cordelia's face.

She had no doubts that, right this very moment, Phila was smiling her smile, that one that she wore only for Lady Emmeryn's sake-- and that Lady Emmeryn, too, was wearing that joyous grin so much like Lissa's, the very one that had made Cordelia realize they were sisters. Phila's armor glinted in the sun, beautiful, and Cordelia, then, understood. "Emm says she looks pretty in-uniform," Lissa had described it, all those years ago. A knight in shining armor, Cordelia realized.

A hero.

But then, from behind the Plegian lines, shouting sounds from the Mad King, and an answering incantation from Plegia's own commander... a commander, Cordelia realized with horror, whose orders extended towards even the dead, for a Plegian archer that she had slain with her own lance not minutes ago began to rise, and then another, and another.

Cordelia urged her pegasus to cross the battlefield, a vain hope that she would make it to the central yard in time, but she had scarcely moved a unit of measure before the air was rent with the sound of a dozen arrows fired at once. Her eyes turned heavenbound again and she watched Phila fall first, pegasus feathers streaming away in her wake, and her steed hit the stone with a horrifying thud, her body skidding away and landing just close enough for Cordelia to see.

And in the breastplate of her golden armor, the uniform Lady Emmeryn had thought so handsome, six arrows protruded from her lungs, her heart. One had missed, Cordelia realized, aghast, and had torn open the joint of her shoulder, nearly unhinging it from her body altogether.

But the most horrible thing to see, thought Cordelia, was the expression of sheer shock written on her face. The joy of being reunited with her liege, the freedom a pegasus knight could only feel midflight, as if they were capable of soaring anywhere... dashed. All of it, at once, and Cordelia made to move back towards battle, to do her part in slaying the undead archers that had _done this_.

A feather, white, glimmering in the sun, fell upon her nose in that moment. She stopped, and looked up from whence it came.

"Grovel before me!" Gangrel cackled, his wicked glee dancing in the air. "Plead! Beg for your worthless lives!"

"I'd give up my life before I'd beg for it from you!" Chrom bit back, furious.

"Ohohoh... if only it were just _your_ life hanging in the balance," Gangrel grinned cattily. "ARCHERS! If these Ylissean pups so much as twitch, let fly your arrows!"

Cordelia's mouth opened in a gasp as her eyes traveled along the points of the Risen archers' arrows. A dozen in all, and they pointed directly to...

"No! Emm!" Lissa cried, lifting a hand to cover her own mouth.

"That's right," and Gangrel laughed cruelly. "But!! You can save her. Lay down your weapons, and give me the Fire Emblem. If not... bwahaha! I suppose your Exalt becomes the world's largest quiver."

"You don't believe him, do you?" Robin looked at Chrom, bit their lip.

"I don't," Chrom admitted, "But what choice do I have? Gangrel, hold! You win... everyone, lay down your--"

"Wait," Emmeryn spoke, and smiled beatifically down at the sands. Tears, Cordelia thought, glimmered in her eyes. Tears, or the sun. "King Gangrel, is there no hope you will listen to reason?"

"You mean listen to more of your sanctimonious babble?" Gangrel snorted. "I think not. Take one last look down from your perch... you do _so_ enjoy looking down on people."

"Very well, then. Plegians," her voice rose, and she did look down indeed. Upon her brother, her sister, the finest militia in Ylisse. But Cordelia watched her gaze, watched it cling to where Phila's body lay, her life ended forever. "I ask that you hear the truth of my words! War will win you nothing but sadness and pain, both inside your borders and out. Free yourselves from this hatred! Do what you must... As I will do. See now that one selfless act has the power to change the world!"

And every Ylissean that stood on the battlefield, that day, knew what would happen next. Cordelia had already seen Phila fall, had already seen the feathers float through the air to christen the wings of her spirit-self, like in the stories told about pegasus knights felled in battle. Her heart was heavy, and she could not bear to watch the Exalt teeter upon the edge of that height any longer.

And so, with her face turned towards the ground, she bent and gently closed the eyelids on her captain's corpse.

 _It wouldn't be fair_ , Cordelia thought, blinking something that stung from her eyes. _It wouldn't be fair to make Phila watch._

A thud. The crack of bone. And shouting, then, something Cordelia recognized distinctly as a rallying cry for the Plegian army, and above it all, a single sound:

"EMM!" Lissa cried. "No!! Not Emm... big sister, please..."

And Cordelia, as Plegians began to enter the field, realized that they were rapidly going to be surrounded if they did not move quickly. More importantly, that Chrom and Lissa stood within the courtyard's heart, where Plegian reinforcements would fill in more quickly, and Captain Phila's training kicked in immediately.

Khan Basilio seemed to have Lord Chrom adequately in motion, but Lissa stood, shaking, and Cordelia did her best to lift her from the stone, "Hurry! They'll be upon us like wolves if we don't make our escape!"

"But Emm! Her... her body..." Lissa's hand lifted, shaking, and then she let it fall. "N-no, you're right, we have to escape... I won't let Emm's sacrifice stand for nothing!"

"Here," and Cordelia took that trembling hand, held it, helped Lissa onto her pegasus. "Hang on tight!"

They took off, then, but if they both chanced a glance backwards in their retreat... neither of them would tell.

The Shepherds departed the Plegian castle, carefully treading the desert sands so as to obscure their tracks. Sumia and Robin, carefully scouting out and meticulously planning the path ahead. Lord Chrom and their Plegian recruit, Tharja, kept an eye out in the back of their marching formation, looking for signs of the enemy advance.

"I know a safe enough place to make camp," she said, peering over the Commander's shoulder. "You've experienced how cold the deserts become at night. After an hour past sunset, the scouts' guard only patrols around oases. There's a dead spot about four miles west of here."

"Milord!" Frederick scoffed. "Surely you cannot be genuinely considering this? As like as not, it's falsely planted information..."

"Suspect me all you like," Tharja tisked, flicked her hair. "It won't change the fact you don't know _anything_ about the Plegian army or its protocol and movements. A new recruit can walk the patrol line between the castle and the Ylissean border in their sleep. If we stay on that path, we'll have to fight another battle for certain."

"We _will_  need one night's rest," Basilio admitted, shook his head. "Our men took quite a beating at the castle. It would be suicide to throw ourselves up against Gangrel's border guard like this."

"... change our course for the West," Chrom ordered after a lengthy pause. "Once nightfall hits, we won't be able to cover as much ground. We'll need all the time we can get if it's still four miles off."

"But... but, milord!" Frederick looked aghast. He turned to Lissa, "Milady, please... I humbly beg you to try to talk some sense into him."

"..." Lissa sat in silence, astride Cordelia's pegasus. Her brows furrowed, eyes clenched, "I... I don't know. I just... I just wish I knew what Emm would do."

"Sister..." Chrom's voice, heavy-hearted. Then, more determined, "West. This woman has abandoned the only life she's ever known for our cause-- _Emm's cause_ \-- and now stands in the company of strangers. If that doesn't make her deserving of my belief, then I'm not sure what does. Maybe you're right, Frederick, and I'm being foolish... but I trusted her when I recruited her, and I damn well trust her now."

"... I see, milord," Frederick sighed. "I will ensure that the camp is adequately prepared to set up for the night, especially if we do not plan to stop near an oasis."

Lissa sighed, and Cordelia watched her, silent. 

The night, too-- last to fall, that day-- fell in silence. They made the slow trod towards the place where they would stay that night, and Cordelia assisted in setting up camp, wordless, as Lissa quietly sat on a nearby crate, unable to do anything but stare at her hands and ruminate. On Gangrel and her brother and this horrible war over this single shield, this tiny piece of armor. On how readily Ylisse would have given it up, if only its Exalt would let them. On Emmeryn, her own older sister, and the spoken words that would be her last.

Then, she thought on Phila, who had fallen first, whose smile streaked the air as she took flight towards Emm, something that looked like more than determination upon her face. Lissa took a deep breath, tried not to think of all those times she'd watched the pegasus knights' practice, had seen Cordelia's face wear the same expression. Tried not to imagine how Emm's heart must have plummeted to watch her die, her pegasus' wings christening the air with feathers that fell like snow. How horrible it had been to watch them both die, and be unable to do anything about it.

Her lower lip trembled.

Cordelia, then, chanced a glance towards her. Perhaps, hoping she could offer even the smallest drop of comfort, sat down beside her, folded her hands in her lap.

"You know, they'll be legends, the both of them,"  Cordelia swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. "They... they _are_ legends."

"I know," Lissa answered, tightening her hands in her skirt fabric. "But... but maybe, just this once, I wish they weren't."

"They'll be remembered for eternity," Cordelia shook her head, uncertain if she was assuring Lissa or herself. "Like the Hero-King Exalted... and his Knight-Queen, whose love and friendship live on even today, in songs and prayers."

"They're legends," Lissa corrected, and her voice wobbled as tears began to dribble from her eyes. "They're _legends_ , but I wish they were alive instead! Emm... I wish she'd been selfish enough to let Chrom give up the Emblem. He-- he was right. Ylisse still needs her. _We_ still need her." 

"I... I know," Cordelia's throat knotted, and she found that the next words were almost impossible to choke out. "But to protect the emblem that could save all Ylisse... she made the choice of heroes."

"Emm's _always_ been a hero to me," Lissa sniffled, wiping at her face with her sleeves. "Even... before _that_. She was the one who took care of me when I got sick, and held me when I had nightmares, and bandaged my cuts when I skinned my knees..."

"Your... your big sister," Cordelia's words trembled, threatening to fall into sobs.

"My big sister," Lissa replied, and tears beaded anew at the corners of her eyes. "T-the best..."

Her breath caught in her throat, and then again, and Lissa found her next breath a sob. She wept for Ylisse, whose Exalt lay dead; she wept for Phila, whose life had been given in vain. But she wept most of all for the best big sister in the entire world, the woman Lissa had looked up to more than anything. She wept for the gentle heart whose last sight of the mortal realm had been her siblings' despair and her greatest friend (her brightest love) falling from the sky, dead.

And Cordelia-- Cordelia could do nothing but draw Lissa into her arms and weep with her. She sobbed, her tears running into the shoulder of Lissa's dress, heard the _plink_ of Lissa's own tears against the armor she wore still. The princess' arms wrapped around her waist, squeezed, and Cordelia could only hope that the comfort would come afterwards. Neither woman had any idea of how long they had been sitting there, exactly, only that they held each other until they wept no more.

When at last she could speak without fearing that a sob would come out instead, Cordelia ventured a shaky smile, "If... if Captain Phila were here, she'd tell me to pick myself up by the bootstraps... that my knight-sisters are with me, always. That this is not goodbye."

"Emm wouldn't have wanted me to cry, either," Lissa hiccuped. She wiped at her eyes with a damp sleeve, "But... but sometimes, when you're sad, you just..."

"I know," Cordelia hugged her closer. "Then let's cry, and grieve, and mourn whenever there's a chance... but let's. Let's do it together. Maybe, then... it won't feel so lonely."

"Okay," Lissa took a deep breath, and ventured a teary smile. "Can you... can you stay with me?"

"Okay," Cordelia replied, and there they stayed until the sun began to rise.

* * *

**02 Sept||Sunshine**

* * *

It seemed like the very heavens themselves mourned, after Emmeryn's fall-- it had rained, that day they crossed the border back into Ylissean land, where Plegian raiders roamed free now. It had rained, all three times the Shepherds had passed by villages in need, had cleared out the brigands that lay waste to their land. And when they at last returned to Ferox, where the supply lines had yet to be disrupted by war, the skies filled with bleak clouds day after day, dotted with drizzles of rain.

Lissa sighed, and glanced towards the sky, and wondered if the sun had left with Emmeryn.

The sound of footsteps approached the arching entryway in the keep, and Lissa was prepared to ignore them in favor of her own musings. But then, they stopped. Took a step towards her.

"Hey, Lissa," Chrom's voice started, taking a lengthy pause before he continued. "Are you holding up okay?"

"I... I guess," Lissa exhaled, shifting in her chair to turn and at least attempt to look her brother in the eye. "How about you?"

"Okay enough," Chrom answered back, running a hand through his hair. "Most of Ylisse's nobles are on the run from Plegia right now... to say nothing of its citizens. Losing Emm... everyone felt it. They're scared. _I'm_ scared."

Lissa bit her lip, tried to prevent tears from welling up in her eyes, "I know... me too. Chrom..."

"We're doing our best to prepare for launching another attack," Chrom carefully walked over. Offered her a kerchief, "There's a war council with the others soon... I just wanted to stop by and check up on you."

"Do you want me to go, too?" Lissa asked, but they both knew that her heart wasn't truly in it.

"I won't subject you to it," Chrom shook his head. "They've been pretty morose as of late... we haven't accomplished much more than arguing over battle sites or routes."

"Okay," Lissa smiled back weakly, and turned back towards the window.

Chrom's footsteps faded, then, as he walked down the hall. Rounded the corner to the staircase, let his feet take him down. He tried to turn his mind to battle, to what it would take to defeat Gangrel once and for all, but his mind couldn't stop lingering on that same thought, undoubtedly the same thought Lissa still dwelt on upstairs. That Emm, their older sister, the best big sister in the world, had fallen-- and that she had done it out of love for them, and all of Ylisse.

"Captain, watch out!" a voice called, and when Chrom looked up, there was Cordelia. Out of curiosity, he looked down-- and discovered that he had very nearly walked into an enormous pile of sack potatoes.

"You have my thanks," Chrom eyed the stack, shocked that he could possibly _miss_ something like that. "Cordelia, what is this?"

"Three days' rations, milord, procured from one of Lon'qu's suppliers," she stood, her back ramrod straight in immaculate military posture. "After eliminating six out of eleven possible routes at the last council, we agreed upon beginning to accrue supplies immediately, owing to the length of the march. I... if you'll forgive me for speaking out of line, milord, um. You approved this yourself... did you not?"

"So I did," and Chrom, exasperated with himself, ran his hand through his hair once more. "At ease, Cordelia... we've no need for such formalities."

"But, milord!" Cordelia looked even paler than usual, aghast. "To refer to you without title..."

"You speak to Lissa without using 'princess' all the time," Chrom pointed out, something like a smile beginning to slide its way onto his face. "Often enough that even _I_ notice."

"So I do," Cordelia paused, her sentence awkward as she tried to speak. " _Chrom_."

"There, that wasn't so hard," Chrom replied, but even this victory felt strangely empty.

"Speaking of Lissa, milord," Cordelia ventured, forgetting to omit the title. "How is she?"

"Lissa's always hated the rain," Chrom shook his head, and conceded this one. "But this time, it's particularly bad. You know, Emm always said... Emm... always said..."

"That Lissa's smile was like the sunshine?" Cordelia finished, hesitant.

"And that way, she could have a sunny day even when it was grey out," Chrom agreed. Somewhat surprised, "When did you hear Emm say that?"

"I didn't, milord," Cordelia answered, sighing and glancing out the nearest window. "Lissa's smile... I've always thought it was like sunshine, too."

Chrom's brow furrowed for a moment. Then, raised ever-so-slightly in a faint realization, "I see."

Suddenly snapping her gaze from the window, Cordelia turned towards him, her hair swaying as she adopted her military posture once more, "Captain! Permission to take Lissa outside, sir?"

He started a little at the sudden change in her tone, the seriousness in her eyes; recognized that she was not merely asking him for his permission just for today.

"Just have her back by dinner, okay?" A smile, true, crossed his face. "I trust you'll keep her safe."

"Yes, sir!" and Cordelia, then, let a smile break out on her own lips, and hastened up the stairs.

Lissa had not moved, sighing, glancing towards the sky-- Chrom's handkerchief, tear-dampened, lay pathetically on the windowsill. But footsteps, then, much faster than Chrom's, and lighter upon their soles, ones that came to a skidding halt in front of the room. She turned around.

"Lissa!" Cordelia called, short of breath from having run up the lengthy stairway. She paused, hands on her knees, and took a deep breath. "Lissa, there's something I have to show you."

"What?" Lissa stood from her chair, hurried over. "Is there an emergency?"

"No, but come with me, please," Cordelia entreated, stretching out her hand. "There's something you need to see."

Lissa glanced down to her hand. Back up to her face. And, decisively taking that offered hand, "All right."

"Excellent," Cordelia smiled, and led her back down the stairs, around the corner, past where Chrom and most of the other Shepherds were beginning their war council.

Their footsteps padded past the atrium, past the central hall, past the main gate. The rain-spattered pathways and stone walls outside very quickly passed by, and Lissa's legs began to tire.

"It's this far away?" Lissa gasped.

"No," answered Cordelia, hurrying past the gate to the stables, throwing open her pegasus' stable door. "It's even further."

"Like an adventure..." Lissa smiled, just a little bit, and shook her head. "Okay, then! Take me wherever it is you want to go. I can't wait to see it!"

"You're going to want to hold on tight," Cordelia warned, expertly saddling her horse. She offered Lissa a leg up, "After you."

"Okay, okay," Lissa took the assistance, and Cordelia swung herself up right behind her. "Where is it that we're going, anyways!?"

"You'll see," Cordelia smiled, and with a leg on either side of Lissa's waist, tapped her heels against the sides of her pegasus. "Hyah!"

The animal took a running start, then, tearing out of the stables, lifting into the sky with a whinny. Cordelia loosened the reins, tightened the hold she had on Lissa, and oh-- her heart raced like it never had before, with the wind in her hair and her arms, warm, just underneath Lissa's. Her fingers had a death grip on Cordelia's wrists, tight, afraid.

"It feels like we're heading straight up!" Lissa yelled, her eyes glued shut.

"We are," Cordelia replied, directly into her ear. She skillfully tugged at the reins, "Don't worry, I've got you!"

"Where are we--" Lissa started, but then, suddenly feeling the pegasus decelerate, "--going?"

"You can open your eyes now," Cordelia whispered, backing her face away just slightly. "Try not to move too much."

"Somehow, I don't think that'll be a problem," and Lissa creaked an eye open. Blinked. Opened the other one.

And, slowly, a smile spread across her lips.

"Do you like it?" Cordelia ventured.

"It's here," Lissa's eyes widened in awe, absorbing every detail of the sight. The crisp breeze you could almost feel, the clouds whirling below them in a dance of rows and columns. And, too, "You found the sun!"

"The clouds are lower than usual today," Cordelia smiled back, and reveled in the light upon her skin. "Tomorrow, they might be too high up to fly past. But the sun... even if it's obscured by clouds, the sun is always there. Always."

"It's warm," Lissa marveled. And she was not speaking only of the sun when she said, "... I missed this."

"I know... I have, too," Cordelia confessed, sighed. "It's wonderful to be reminded again... this kind of joy, this kind of sunshine. Moments like these are what we keep fighting for."

"Is that what you think?" Lissa turned slightly to meet Cordelia's eyes.

"With all of my heart," and the corners of her eyes creased in a smile. "Phila used to lead the new recruits up past the cloudline, on days like these... moments where it is just you, and your pegasus... and the sun. She never said anything about it... but I think we all understood. She was trying to teach us about freedom. About peace. And show us what, exactly, we picked up our lances for."

"Phila..." Lissa bit her lip, feeling as if she might cry again. But no tears came, this time, and she smiled instead, "You wouldn't think there was a war going on underneath all those clouds, I guess."

"No, I suppose you wouldn't," Cordelia replied, turning towards the brilliance of the skyscape before them. "You might even say that this is the kind of peace we're searching to bring everywhere. Not just here, alone, above the clouds... but down on the ground as well. It is, perhaps, too lofty a goal..."

"Maybe, for one person alone," Lissa admitted. "But together, I think... I think people can achieve anything!"

"Perhaps," Cordelia shook her head, red hair flying in the breeze. "Right now, right here... I certainly _feel_ like anything's possible."

"Then let's stay here for a little while," Lissa answered, and leaned back in Cordelia's arms, let her head rest upon her spaulder, gleaming silver in the sunshine.

"All right," Cordelia replied, and in that moment couldn't bring herself to care if Lord Chrom would be upset if they were late. "Let's stay."

* * *

The door to Chrom's chambers slammed open suddenly, and the newly-made King of Ylisse jolted, dropping the entire report he'd been reading. Papers scattered across the floor, and Chrom nearly drew his sword until he saw who it was that had interrupted him, her clothes damp with cloud-mist and boots squeaking upon the floor.

"Lissa?" a note of surprise crept into his voice, expecting her to be out far later. "What's the emergency?"

"There isn't any," Lissa smiled, and shook her head. "I've just made up my mind."

"Huh?" Chrom bent, began picking up his misplaced paperwork. "About what?"

"I'm tired of crying all the time," Lissa winked. "It's time to start punchin' stuff!"

"... I don't understand what you're talking about," Chrom shook his head, thoroughly befuddled.

"Teach me, Chrom," and Lissa lifted her chin, and let a determined grin spread across her lips. "Teach me how to _fight_."

* * *

**03 Sept||Secret**

* * *

An axe still felt odd in Lissa's hands, its shaft like a scepter of self-regency, the power to protect herself contained within its forged bronze. But she handled it well, or so Libra had said when he'd given her those pointers on healing mid-battle, and though she fought only on the fringes of the fight, with those who had stayed a step behind due to their injuries, she felt stronger, somehow.

 _Like the space between the clouds and the sun,_ Lissa thought, unable to resist the thought. _Like freedom._

And like Cordelia, whose lance wove in and out of battle, who readily lead her pegasus between the front lines and the place where Lissa stood, ferrying their injured from the heart of battle and their freshly-healed towards it. Cordelia, whose gentle control could lead her steed into war, or into the clouds, or into the very idea, the very thought of peace itself. 

Her heart pounded at the thought of that flight a week earlier, on the way Cordelia's arms had felt, wrapped around her, on the way she was not entirely certain it was only the height that made her adrenaline rush. Her heart pounded when she remembered that she still wore one of her mother's rings, tied around her neck with a thin ribbon, and it would be simple-- so _simple_ \-- to ask.

Cordelia swept from the center of the battle, then, the wings of her pegasus casting shadows over the field as she announced, "King Gangrel is dead! The Ylisseans have won-- Plegian guard, drop your weapons now, and you shall be spared! King Gangrel is dead!"

"Cordelia!" Lissa shouted, waving up at her from the ground.

Cordelia smiled down, waved back, and made one last announcement call before swooping back and landing.

"Lissa, I'm glad to see you're all right," she said, deftly dismounting her pegasus. The beast snorted, pushed her muzzle into Cordelia's hand, and turned about to softly graze.

"I'm glad to see you're okay, too," Lissa smiled, shifted her axe into her other hand. "That was a scary battle... even though I really only just did what I normally do when we fight, I actually _hit_ things this time..."

"Hopefully," Cordelia replied. "The peace will be long-lasting enough that you won't have to get too used to it anytime soon..."

"Yeah," Lissa shook the hair from her eyes. Paused. Glanced across the battlefield, where Shepherds began to gather in small clumps of two or three, and assess their status. "Hey... Cordelia?"

"Yes?" Cordelia turned her head ever-so-slightly, curious. "Did you wish to say something?"

"Cordelia... I think you're strong," Lissa sighed. "You're really, really strong..."

"No stronger than you have the potential to be," Cordelia shook her head, red hair flying about like feathers. "Despite what Captain Phila might have said... I'm no more talented than anybody else, when it comes down to it."

"Well... you're good at fighting, too, but that's not what I was trying to say," Lissa smiled shyly. She placed a hand over her heart, "I meant that you're strong here. I dunno... it might be something like a determined spirit, I guess. I admire it."

"That's a funny thing to say," Cordelia averted her eyes, rubbed the blush from her cheeks with the heel of her palm. "I'm not sure you notice it, but you yourself... you seem to bring light to wherever you go."

"Huh, really? ... hehe. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I... I want you to have this," Lissa said, removing the ring from her neck and holding it out, ribbon and all. "I know it's kinda sudden, but I... I really like you. A lot! And, um... even if you don't like me back, or you don't like me in _that way_..."

"This is a piece of the royal trousseau," Cordelia gaped at the ring, round, and remembered to shut her mouth. "Lissa... milady. This is the sort of gift that isn't taken lightly."

"I don't _mean_ it lightly," Lissa answered, visibly deflating. "Does that mean... you don't accept?"

"Oh, Lissa," Cordelia sighed, and gathered Lissa into her arms. Squeezed, softly, "Yes. Yes, I accept, with all of my heart. I love you, Lissa... I've loved you from the moment we met in the marketplace, those years ago. I lost my heart to you that first time I heard you laugh... I've only never dreamed that you could come to feel the same way about me."

"R-really?" Lissa flushed, her face buried in Cordelia's shoulder. "I guess I've been pretty oblivious, huh? Well, um... can you hold out your hand?"

"Here," and Cordelia, with a hesitant smile, placed her hand directly in Lissa's.

"Your hands are really pretty," Lissa laughed, nervous and delighted, sliding the ring onto her finger.

"Only because they bear this token of affection," Cordelia giggled, feeling oddly giddy. "Ah... give me that ribbon for a moment, if you would?"

"Huh? Oh, sure," Lissa cocked her head curiously, and passed her the ribbon.

"Now, hold your hand still for a moment..." and Cordelia, with a few deft loops and skillful knots, tied the ribbon to Lissa's finger. "There... that should hold for long enough for me to buy you a ring, the next time we're in a marketplace."

"It's wonderful," Lissa smiled back, and merely let her hand stay there, atop Cordelia's. Their eyes met, silent, and Cordelia gently squeezed the hand in hers, and let their gazes communicate for them.

Catcalls and whoops filled the air at a distance, and, startled, they broke eye contact momentarily to look for the cause of celebration.

"Over there," Cordelia at last pointed out the battlement that had been closest to the center of the battle. "It's Lord Chrom... is he proposing!?"

"I guess we're not the only ones who thought of... well," Lissa chuckled, watched her brother sweep his bride to-be into his arms. "Maybe we'd better hold off on telling people about us for a little while..."

"Just for a little bit... it can be our little secret," Cordelia agreed, and watched the rest of the Shepherds hurry up to congratulate their commander. "They deserve to have the limelight for a while. Your brother looks so happy...

"She looks pretty happy, too... I didn't even know Tharja _could_ smile like that," Lissa beamed, something in her heart made light by the way she playfully flicked her brother's forehead.

"Perhaps it's a sign," Cordelia smiled back. "That Ylisseans and Plegians will be able to coexist in the years to come. That there are brighter days ahead."

"I don't know... without Emmeryn," Lissa hesitated. "I don't know if Ylisse is going to be okay. She left behind the kind of role that nobody can really fill... not me, not Chrom..."

"I understand how you feel... the pegasus knights may never be the same again," Cordelia shook her head. "It's only Sumia and I, now, but without Captain Phila to bolster the new recruits, there might never again be as many of us as there were before the war."

"... do you think we can do it?" Lissa ventured. "Save Ylisse, and stay in love?" 

"We'll make this work, Lissa," Cordelia promised, swallowing the lump that came to her throat. "Neither of us are quite yet like the women we aspired to be... but when we're together, I feel like..."

"Together, we can be heroes," answered Lissa, and sealed it with a kiss.

Their smiles pressed together, and Cordelia let herself laugh.

* * *

**04 Sept||Free Prompt||Inheritance**

* * *

And in a future that was yet to be, a future that perhaps might never be, there were days that these heroes were remembered.

Curled up in the refuge of Ylisstol Castle, where neither Exalt Emmeryn nor Lord Chrom had lived for well over twenty years, the scant few remaining citizens of Ylisse would whisper, "She looks just like her mother."

And Severa, battle-worn and dirtied, could not imagine which of her mothers they spoke of. She had Cordelia's features, she was told, the shape of her eyes and nose. But, too... perhaps in an attempt to be more like her, she wore her hair (blonde, _Lissa's_ blonde) in pigtails, maybe trying to remind herself of how very much like sunshine Mom had seemed, back when she was--

Well. There would be no time to ruminate on that any longer, Severa decided, and let the last Ylisseans talk among themselves. She would never be either of her mothers, no matter what they wished. No matter what _she_ wished herself, and then she bitterly pressed her lips together, thinning them. She would never have the sunny disposition of Exalt Lissa, last of the royal family, who they once called the last beacon of light in this desolate world. She would never have the strength and talent of Captain Cordelia of the Pegasus Knights, who had defended her queen, her dearest love, to the very last dying breath.

(She would never be Cynthia, the last of the Pegasus Knights, who still believed in such foolhardy ideals. _Never, never,_ Severa thought, and willed the tears in her eyes away.)

Severa shoved open the door to the castle infirmary, nearly knocking over Brady and Laurent with the same motion, "Owain! Where is he? Lucina said he'd be here."

"Hey, this's a center for _medicine_ ," Brady sniffled, rubbing where his elbow was beginning to bruise. "He's here. He and Inigo got real hurt, protecting me an' Yarne... there was so many enemies, and then my stave broke, an'- an'..."

Severa's heart plummeted like it had that day Cordelia had fallen from the sky, when their family had gotten the news. They said, back then, that she'd been knocked from her steed, had probably died instantly and painlessly upon hitting the ground. They said that she'd taken down a dozen wyvern riders with her. They said that she was a hero, but Severa hadn't _wanted_ a hero. She'd wanted her mother, and Owain...

"Is he...?" Severa started, going pale.

"No, no, he's alive and well," Laurent hurriedly assured her, not particularly ready to handle Brady's weeping and Severa's possible fit at the same time. "And Inigo is all right, too. I suspect they're even disappointed that nothing is going to scar. Your brother's behind the second curtain, please try not to disrupt--"

"Owain!" Severa yelled, throwing open the curtains to the second bed in, "Owain! Don't you dare scare me like that again, you hear!?"

The sheets shifted. Owain turned with a creaking groan, rubbed his eyes, "Fifteen more minutes, Sev..."

"Uh, how about 'no?' You can't just almost die on me and ask for _fifteen more minutes_ ," Severa scoffed, yanking his ear. "I told you not to go trying to be a hero! Why didn't you listen?"

"However my sword hand aches for battle... I wasn't actually trying to be a hero this time," Owain yawned, and struggled to sit up. Bandages stretched across his chest, his arms. "Argent and Sable made it to the capitol... that's all that matters. If Lucina performs the Awakening... if we can go back to the past, and unwrite the events of the present... that's the only thing I want. We're so close, Sev."

"Y-you idiot!" Severa scowled. "Like I'd be able to travel back in time without my little brother. What hit you, anyways!? That's a pretty big bandage for such a skinny nerd."

"H-hey! I'm still growing," Owain defended himself. Then, deflating a little, "And... it was an archer."

"There's no way one tiny arrow caused," Severa gestured to the vast stretch of bandages, "All of that."

"It grazed me here," Owain admitted, gesturing towards his shoulder. Then, with an uncomfortable shudder, "But having an arrow fired at me, like that... even though it only scratched me, I couldn't help but think of..."

"... Mom," Severa finished, the wind knocked from her sails.

"I had to watch the arrowheads emerge from her back when she protected me," Owain's voice wavered. "Even _my_ focus is not infallible, when faced with those memories..."

"D-don't you dare cry," Severa warned, even though she was on the verge of it herself. "I can't believe you got hurt because you were distracted! Tch... I'll have to go with you next time we do battle. And I won't take no for an answer, so don't even say it!"

"I c-can't help it," Owain's lower lip trembled, and he sniffed, tears beginning to roll down his cheeks. "... I lost Mom's ring."

"You were wearing it right around--" Severa began to scold, but changed her mind as she reassessed the placement of his injuries. "Right around your neck. When you got hit over here..."

"The ribbon must have gotten cut," Owain rested his head upon his knees. "The ultimate insult towards a mother who gave her life to save mine."

"Hey! So what? It was just a ring," Severa scowled. "It's not like you don't have any other proof that you're her son... I mean, you've got your Brand in plain sight."

"It was a symbol of the divine pact from which you and I were born," Owain frowned, melancholy seeping into his very being. "It was... important to her."

"Well, um," Severa hesitated, and then sighed. She dug through her pockets briefly, "You know... not so long before she died, Mother told me that she couldn't really afford to have a ring made custom when she and Mom got engaged... since her pay got cut after the war, or whatever. So there's probably a bajillion rings out there just like the one you lost. But... then, she gave me this."

Severa thrust her hand out towards him, and Owain peered at what she held there, "Isn't that just a piece of ribbon with a lot of knots in it?"

"Uh, excuse you?" Severa tisked. "For your information, it's a piece of ribbon with a lot of knots _and glue_ in it. And... apparently, it used to be the ring Mom wore while Mother was still trying to save up for one with metal and jewels in it."

"So then, this ring," Owain took it in his hand, marveled at it. "It's like the ties of the first bonded pact they ever made!"

"Close enough, I guess," Severa sighed, deciding to humor him. She winked, "It's waaaaay more unique than some boring old regular ring, at least."

"Thanks, Severa," and Owain beamed up at her at last, wiping the tears from his face. "Maybe I don't say it enough, but... you're the best big sister in the entire world."

"And don't you forget it," Severa ruffled his hair. "I guess you're not so bad a brother, either... sometimes."

"I can't wait to meet them again, Severa," he shook his head, and glanced towards the sky. "And this time, when the Fell Dragon comes..."

"Yeah," Severa let herself smile back. "We'll save them, Owain. We'll save them."


End file.
